Manager’s resignation could impact city operations, some aldermen say

Published: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 at 03:05 PM.

“I think we will have a tumultuous next four years,” he said.

November election

At least three aldermen are saying the November election sparked the resignation.

“I want to thank the Board of Aldermen for the opportunity I have had to serve the city of New Bern since 2010,” Epperson said in a letter the board. “I have accepted an offer of employment with the law firm of Ward and Smith ... Ward and Smith has agreed to allow me time, as practical over the coming months, to assist the Board of Aldermen and the city’s management team in a smooth transition of leadership for the city of New Bern.”

Mayor Lee Bettis said Epperson’s resignation came as no surprise and he attributed it to Alderman Dana Outlaw winning the New Bern mayoral race earlier in the month.

“We all predicted it,” he said. “I think we are going to see an out flux of good people … with Dana’s leadership as mayor.”

Outgoing aldermen believe Mike Epperson’s resignation from the post of city manager will result in other city employees leaving as well.

New Bern Board of Aldermen members didn’t seem too surprised when Epperson came out of a closed session meeting Tuesday night where he turned in his notice of resignation.

Alderman Sabrina Bengel and Alderman Denny Bucher both said they were surprised at the timing of Epperson’s resignation, but not that he resigned.

Epperson, who has been hired by the local law firm of Ward and Smith as an executive director and chief operating officer, will leave City Hall Dec. 30.

“He has an excellent talent and he has a good business sense,” Bengel said Wednesday morning. “He brought so much to the table. He was really the person behind the scene who moved New Bern forward for the last four years.”

Bengel said Epperson did that by surrounding himself with a talented staff that provided good day-to-day service.

“He brought a very unique presence to the city because he was not from here,” she said. “He was able to stand back and look at the way we were doing business and bring a fresh perspective. That was important to move New Bern forward.”

Without Epperson’s guidance, Bengel said she has concerns now about the future of New Bern.

Bucher said he assumed Epperson was leaving because he didn’t think the Board of Aldermen would get any better since the election.

“Mr. Epperson shared with me that the board he worked with for the past three years has been dysfunctional,” Bucher said. “I assume — he hasn’t told me — but I assume that his conclusion — at the end of the election a month ago — was not going to get any better. Personally, I believe that is why he put his résumé out.”

Bucher said he was happy that Epperson, who has children attending school in New Bern, found a good job in town.

Bucher said he would be surprised if some of the people Epperson hired to help run the city also did not leave.

“I don’t think we will see a rapid exorcise,” he said. “I think it will depend on how the new board functions and the new mayor functions. People are concerned about their jobs — some of the department managers — and that is a result of the election.”

Bucher said he was concerned about the future of the city.

“I think we will have a tumultuous next four years,” he said.

November election

At least three aldermen are saying the November election sparked the resignation.

“I want to thank the Board of Aldermen for the opportunity I have had to serve the city of New Bern since 2010,” Epperson said in a letter the board. “I have accepted an offer of employment with the law firm of Ward and Smith ... Ward and Smith has agreed to allow me time, as practical over the coming months, to assist the Board of Aldermen and the city’s management team in a smooth transition of leadership for the city of New Bern.”

Mayor Lee Bettis said Epperson’s resignation came as no surprise and he attributed it to Alderman Dana Outlaw winning the New Bern mayoral race earlier in the month.

“We all predicted it,” he said. “I think we are going to see an out flux of good people … with Dana’s leadership as mayor.”

When Bettis became mayor along with a majority of new aldermen four years ago, New Bern also did not have a city manager. He went through the League of Municipalities and found an interim city manager who helped with a nationwide search that resulted in Epperson being hired.

“We did a great job with Mr. Epperson,” Bettis said. “We are just not going to be able to replace him.”

Last spring, after Epperson had applied for a job as a city manager in Florida but was not hired, the Board of Aldermen agreed to give him a $10,000 bonus. He did not accept the bonus after controversy surrounded the offer, which was presented during a Board of Aldermen retreat.

Kenneth R. Wooten, co‑managing director at Ward and Smith, he looked forward to having Epperson join the firm.

“Ward and Smith is excited to have someone of Mike’s caliber join our team,” Wooten said in an email. “His experience in strategic planning and project management will serve the Firm’s future goals and our long‑standing commitment to client satisfaction, reliability, responsiveness, and teamwork.”

Epperson, who could not be reached for comment, served as New Bern’s city manager since 2010. He is an International City/County Management Association Credentialed Manager with more than 20 years of leadership experience in strategic planning, performance management, organizational/employee development, finance and budget administration, and innovative program development within a full‑service organization.

As city manager, Epperson’s accomplishments include increasing the city’s general fund reserve balance from 7 percent to 25 percent and the creation of a high performance management team by reorganizing and recruiting key department heads.

He also facilitated a strategic goals and objectives initiative with the Board of Aldermen that resulted in the adoption of a focused and accountable set of strategic initiatives for each member’s term in office.

Eddie Fitzgerald can be reached at 252-635-5675 or at eddie.fitzgerald@newbernsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @staffwriter3.